


Bad End

by WindyCanyon



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-06
Updated: 2016-10-06
Packaged: 2018-08-19 20:11:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,162
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8223385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WindyCanyon/pseuds/WindyCanyon
Summary: Their story wasn't suppose to end like this. He wanted more of Tobio's smiles and even his insults. He'd only gotten a taste of everything he wanted to savor.





	

Chaos rang in his head and cast shadows in his peripheral. The dying screamed with the living, and the living laid with the dying. Last breaths fueled the wind, whipping around the smell of blood and rot. People shouted his name, calling for help and cursing him to hell. He tried saving who he could, fending off many so the few could get away. For some, escape came only in death. Again, he helped the only way he could.

When Tobio found him, he held a dying boy; no older than him but much less fortunate. His army had retreated, as per his orders. He was alone with the dying and his greatest enemy.

Tobio was no better off. His men had retreated to lick their wounds, showing no concern for their leader alone in the battlefield. If that bothered Tobio, his face didn't show it. Nothing showed in his eyes, as dead as the men around him. There was a time, in a different place, that those eyes held warmth. Whatever lit them then had long since gone out, leaving nothing but dull blue orbs.

Shouyou rose up, dead boy fallen at his feet. Tobio didn't even glance down at the body, though the boy wore his colors. Shouyou could only wonder who this monster was in front of him.

Tobio lifted his sword and pointed it towards him. Blood dripped from it. The man was covered in blood--hair matted with it, clothes dark with it, hands stained with it. Shouyou knew none of the blood belonged to Tobio. That angered him, knowing many of his own fell to Tobio's ruthless blade, but a dim memory in him found relief. He shoved aside the memory and latched on to his anger for dear life. Death waited for him if he let that memory consume him.

Shouyou answered Tobio's challenge by mirroring his stance, bringing his sword up. He stared into Tobio's glass eyes, unconsciously searching for the flame he once saw in them.

The man came at him hard, sword plunging with the intent to kill. Tobio struck him with no hesitation, as he aimed for Shouyou's weakest areas.

He blocked the best he could. The clash of the swords threw him back a step at a time. Tobio's strength and skill outmatched his own, honed by years of practice. He'd seen the other man disarm soldiers with a single brute strike. Any chance Shouyou had against Tobio slowly drained out a wound to his thigh. All his speed and agility gone to a ruined leg. 

Shouyou let out a cry when he took an especially jarring step, clenching his jaw as pain ran up and down his leg.

The assault ended abruptly, and Tobio stood still. Those dead eyes ran over him, lingering on the dark stain soaking his pant leg, before they found his face again. Without infliction or hesitation, Tobio spoke, "I'm going to kill you."

It wasn't a threat, but a statement of fact. Shouyou had no chance with a wound to his leg. Knowing this, he only lifted his chin and met Tobio's stare. "I know."

The silence stretched between them. Tobio stared at him and he stared back, both taking guesses at the other's thoughts. Shouyou couldn't guess Tobio's thought anymore. Tobio's thoughts had once been plain to him, but now they were more distance than the stars. He didn't know anymore if the man who stood before him was the same man who he knew long ago.

The wind blew hard, bringing only the scent of death and smoke. Shouyou's leg burned. The wind caught Tobio's voice and blew it past his ears. Tobio said, "Don't let me."

Tobio came faster, striking at him until Shouyou could focus only on defense. Despite his increased speed, Tobio's blows lacked the force he was known for. They glanced off his sword and jarred both their arms. Between the swings, Shouyou spoke through clenched teeth, "I can't stop you."

Their swords locked. Tobio pressed until the swords were against his chest and their faces close. The dead emptiness left Tobio's eyes, and they shone bright and feverish. Shouyou wanted to call the look in Tobio's eyes madness; a break caused by the strain of battle like he'd seen in many. Tobio didn't have the same wandering, harried eyes. They stared at him steadily, burning into his soul.

"You can kill me."

He shoved Tobio away and stumbled back from the force. Tobio's suggestion took the air out of his lungs. Perhaps, Tobio was mad. "What?"

"The only way to end this is for one of us to die." The feverish light didn't leave Tobio's eyes. He spoke fast, as if his time would run out before he could finish speaking. "For you to live, I must die."

"But..." Shouyou knew he couldn't kill Tobio. He'd won battles before without his speed. Old feelings held his sword, filled him with hesitation, and sealed his death before Tobio even raised his sword.

"You must." Tobio rushed him, sword flying. His swings came desperate and fast, near misses that made Shouyou wonder if it was purposeful. He'd never seen Tobio fight like this before. The other man was too skilled for reckless, nearly sloppy swordplay.

It became evident Tobio wasn't going to let up. Shouyou couldn't hold up much longer against such an unpredictable rhythm. His arms shook from the effort it took to guard against Tobio's blows. Each block became less steady, eventually forcing him to take a step back or be struck. This couldn't go on much longer before one of Tobio's swings met its mark.

With a cry, Shouyou smacked Tobio's sword away and stepped forward to bring his sword down on Tobio's shoulder. If he could disable Tobio, it would end this fight. It wouldn't end the war, but neither would dying for a cause they didn't believe in. Before Shouyou could complete the action, a body snagged his foot and he stumbled forward. His sword met soft flesh, sinking into it with ease. He locked eyes with Tobio, uncertain about what happened. Tobio looked as surprised as him.

Tobio's sword made a dull thump as it hit the ground. Pain twisted Tobio's face, but his eyes shone with relief. Pain laid thick in Tobio's voice and forced it into a whisper. "This is not how you kill someone."

Horrified, Shouyou could only watch as Tobio placed his hand on the sword hilt, fitting it over Shouyou's hand. Only the sword tip laid in Tobio's gut, slipped between the slats of his armor. Slowly, under Tobio's insistence, more of the sword pressed into Tobio. Soon, all the steel disappeared from sight and blood flowed over their hands.

Tobio let out a groan, one arm dropping over Shouyou's shoulder in a partial embrace. All too quickly, Tobio slid down Shouyou's body and dropped to his knees.

Shouyou came out of his shock, and let out a cry as if he'd been the one impaled. He knelt with Tobio, holding him when even that became too much for the man.

"No! This isn't what I wanted."

Tobio looked up at him and smiled faintly. His mouth was red with blood. "I'm sorry..."

A water drop fell onto Tobio's cheek, mixing with the blood and dirt. Then another fell. He thought the rains finally came until a sob wracked his body.

"Shouyou..." Blood dripped from Tobio's lips. He gagged and it flowed out. "In another life..."

"I don't want another life. I don't want this," cried Shouyou. "Stay with me."

"Listen to me, dumbass." Again, Tobio smiled. "We'll fight together next time."

"Please, Tobio," Shouyou begged. He wanted more time and a different ending. He wanted more of Tobio's smiles and even his insults. He'd only gotten a taste of everything he wanted to savor.

"I...love you."

Shouyou broke down, crying and begging Tobio not to die. The man never answered him, only shaking his head when Shouyou pressed him for an answer. When Shouyou's pleas became too much, Tobio quietly took his hand and held it. Shouyou nearly lost it completely there, but understood what Tobio wanted. He stopped his pleas and held Tobio's hand tightly. It wasn't long after that. Tobio's eyes never left his face as his chest struggled to rise. With a final sigh, Tobio's chest stopped moving and his eyes went blank.

Shouyou screamed. He screamed until his soldiers found him, clutching the dead body of his enemy to his chest. At first they cheered, and a few even clapped him on the back. They stopped when his silent tears began to frighten them. Someone stepped forward to take Tobio from him. He wouldn't let them touch him. Shouyou picked up Tobio's fallen sword and swung it at them with wild abandon. The sword was too heavy for him and his soldiers stepped out of the way of his clumbsy swings. They must have thought him mad, and he was--mad with grief.

They let him alone after watching his fit, too afraid to come within reach of the sword. One by one, his enemies disappeared and left. Shouyou continued to swing the sword at shadows and hidden enemies. In his rage, he turned the blade on himself.

"Stop!" A white hand stayed his arm, barely stopping him from plunging the sword into his breast. Koushi pulled at his fingers, trying to take the sword from him. Their face held an expression of such worry, it made him sick. "There has been enough death. Don't add yours to it, Shouyou."

Just seeing Koushi made him go cold with rage. The being was unstained by the death around them, untouched by the blood spilled for them. Koushi even had the gall to look at him with such sadness and compassion.

He slowly lowered his sword, knuckles white around the handle. Koushi patted his cheek and looked down at Tobio. Gentle as a mother, Koushi knelt beside Tobio and passed a hand over his face, closing his eyes.

Shouyou stared at Koushi's back, consumed by anger and grief. Without thinking, he drove his blade into its back. Koushi's body snapped forward, forced into the dirt by his thrust. Koushi looked back at him, eyes wide with shock. Shouyou began to laugh a cold, ugly laugh. Koushi never expected someone to ever use a sword on him, let alone his sun child.

"This is your fault." He placed a foot on Koushi's back and pulled the sword free. Koushi gasped and squirmed under Shouyou's weight. He felt no pleasure in dirtying the being and moved his foot.

They rose quickly, moving away from him. Koushi looked at him like they didn't recognize Shouyou anymore. "It wasn't suppose to end up like this. I swear this wasn't my intention."

"You did this." He forced his leg forward, screaming in pain and anger. Shouyou swung at them, too slow to really threaten Koushi. "Bring him back! You can change this."

"I'm sorry, Shouyou. This is beyond me now." Koushi kept moving out of the way of the sword. That same sad expression never left their face. "You have to stop, or risk death yourself."

Shouyou didn't stop, stumbling on his ruined leg. He couldn't feel it anymore and dragged the leg behind him. The wound still bled, soaking his pants dark. If he didn't take care of it soon, he'd bleed out completely.

He slowly grew too tired to hold up the sword. Shouyou stuck Tobio's sword into the ground and leaned against it. Other parts of his body burned, protesting every movement he made. Koushi stepped closer, their hand out stretched as if to touch his shoulder. One look from Shouyou made the being drop their hand.

It was getting hard to breathe.

Giving up on killing Koushi, Shouyou dragged himself back to Tobio. He collapsed before he could reach Tobio, leg going out from under him. A cry tore from his throat as a shock of pain ran up from his numb leg.

He laid there, trying to push the pain to the back of his mind. Tobio was only a little further, but he doubted his legs could carry him that distance. Shouyou dragged himself the last few feet, letting out a strangled groan when he half fell onto Tobio's chest.

Under him, Tobio made no sound. His chest didn't raise, body long gone cold. Shouyou clutched at Tobio's armor, too tired to shake the life back into him. It wasn't suppose to happen this way. This wasn't the right end to their story.

"You went ahead of me again, bastard," he said to Tobio. Shouyou knew he was going to die soon. His vision blurred at the edges; a coldness creeping up from inside him. "Next time...Next time, you promise--You better keep it..."

He closed his eyes, too weak to keep them open anymore. It was his time to follow Tobio.

**Author's Note:**

> This was just me messing around with style basically, while I procrastinate on other stories. Of course, that's not to say I don't have an outline for a plot or anything. I may come back to this and explore how they got the "Bad End." If not, think of this as a lead in to their next life being volleyball players and fighting together on the same team.
> 
> So, thanks for reading! Let me know what you think and if you want more.


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